On 22 October 2014, Redditor AWWWshetz asked, “What is something someone said that forever changed your way of thinking?” Here are some replies:
1) Mutericator wrote, “I’m the oldest of three kids. I’m older than my little brother by 2.5 years and my little sister by 9.5.
“When I was about fourteen or so, arguing with my dad in private about something I don’t remember, he, being the second-oldest of eight kids, told me, ‘Any decision you make in this household, you make three times. Once when you make it, once when your brother makes the same decision after watching you do it, and once when your sister makes the same decision after watching you and your brother do it. How you treat your brother will tell him how he can treat your sister; and how you treat your sister tells her how she will expect to be treated for the rest of her life, even as far as her future boyfriends.’
“That kinda shook me up and made me rethink my role as the oldest child; I started taking my responsibilities as the role model a lot more seriously after that. Even when you aren’t trying to actively influence those around you, those who look up to and respect you will still base their decisions, in part, on how they’ve seen you handle similar situations. If you break down and get stressed and angry when something inconvenient happens, they’ll feel better doing the same when something similarly small happens to them. But if you keep your cool in a dire situation and under a lot of stress, it can inspire them to believe they can do the same.”
2) NRBQ_BBQ wrote, “‘You have an attitude.’
“It was said to me by a friend when I was about 25. I’m almost 40 now. He elaborated by saying that my personality carries a huge lack of humility. The things I would say or do, in most cases, were very off-putting to a majority of people. I always had a better story after someone finished theirs. I was full of knowledge on any subject, or whatever opinion I had on the matter was always superior and correct. My way of doing things was the best way. I appeared ungrateful, selfish, and pompous. And I had no clue whatsoever.
“I’ll never forget that conversation and the paradigm shift my brain experienced that day. Once I was aware of this attitude, I started thinking about my relationships and the environment I created because of my general [*]ssholery and douchebaggedness. I actually sunk into depression for a short time, realizing the way I had treated people and taken them for granted.
“Over a few years I slowly learned so many things about myself and others. I learned how to listen. To enjoy myself in groups and not need to be the focus of the group. To be compassionate and empathetic. To give advice only when asked, or out of heartfelt concern or genuine worry. To put others first when it counts. To show up. To be a friend instead of a competitor. I’ve learned many other things from that statement, too many to list.
“It’s incredible to me how I’m still learning. I think we all are and no one really has it figured out. I know I don’t. But I’ll never forget how that one small statement had/has a long-term effect on me.”
3) RedheadBanshee wrote, “I met a person who was in a wheelchair. He related a story about how a person once asked [him] if it was difficult to be confined to a wheelchair. He responded, ‘I’m not confined to my wheelchair — I am liberated by it. If it wasn’t for my wheelchair, I would be bed-bound and never able to leave my room or house.’
“Amazing perspective.”
4) ssara075 wrote, “‘I’m bored is a useless thing to say.’ I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you’ve seen [hardly any] of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless; it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you’re alive is amazing, so you don’t get to say, ‘I’m bored.’”
Source: AWWWshetz, “What is something someone said that forever changed your way of thinking?” Reddit. 22 October 2014
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